


Sam I Am

by Mini_Goat, ONeillwith2ls



Series: Bobbsey Chronicles [5]
Category: MacGyver (TV 1985), Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Family Bonding, Fluff and Humor, House Hunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24858130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mini_Goat/pseuds/Mini_Goat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ONeillwith2ls/pseuds/ONeillwith2ls
Summary: House hunting was never fun but when your fairy godfather is a photojournalist… well the perfect house might just be around the corner.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Series: Bobbsey Chronicles [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727761
Comments: 30
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We kept ignoring poor Sean. And he’s a busy man in his 30s but still.

Sam was catching up on paperwork while the kids slept. Jack was dealing with political nonsense in DC today and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow at the earliest. Vala was staying with her until he got back but she was in the den playing one of Jack’s video games. Sam could hear her quietly cursing at the game punctuated by periodic victoriously crowing when she succeeded at whatever mission she was attempting. Sam shook her head. It made them happy and that’s what mattered she supposed. She didn’t dislike games. She just usually had to carve out time to play them and often she just had too much on her plate unless Jack made her take a break.

She was so engrossed in one of Bill Lee’s reports that she didn’t register the sound of the motorcycle stopping in front of her house until there was a jangle of keys at the door. As no one who should have a key was in town at the moment except the two people currently _in_ the house… Sam was now instantly alert. Her side arm was locked up in the gun safe for obvious reasons but even unarmed, Sam was a dangerous opponent in a fight. She quietly got up and moved to the blind spot near the front door.

The door swung open and Jack’s nephew, Sean, sauntered in as though he owned the place.

Sam huffed out a sigh. “Sean Angus, you better be glad I wasn’t armed.” She snaps at him.

He looked startled to see her there. “Sorry Sam. Dad said Uncle Jack was in DC. I thought you and the kids were with him.” He told her. “I really am sorry Aunt Sam, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Care to explain why you are breaking into my home?” She asked him with dry amusement as they walked through the house to the kitchen.

“Oh! Right! Sorry! Dad loaned me his key. He said you were house hunting when we were here a few weeks ago and I remembered when I was driving through town last time… And I know you guys love this house but it’s too small for a family with two kids and then I remembered… So I had to check… To see if it was still up first…” His voice kept trailing off as he hunted thought the pockets of his jacket until he found what he was looking for.

“So I know how you guys are - that the house has to be exactly what you want or there’s just no point. I remember seeing this for sale sign and thinking ‘Wow, that house is exactly their taste’ but then I had an assignment and I knew I should make sure it was still up before I mentioned it. It’s obviously perfect though. Might need a little work but Dad and Uncle Jack could handle that, right?” He unfolds a flyer and slides it across the table to her.

Sam hands him a cup of coffee as she picks up the flier.

“You can have coffee already?” He asks her, curious as he would have sworn she’d opted to breast feed at least until her maternity leave was over.

“I can if it’s decaf.” She told him with a dimpled smile.

“Ah.” He said and chuckled. “At least it’s not tea.”

“There is nothing wrong with liking tea.” She admonishes him, thinking of his father’s numerous oddities.

“I could see it if he was English, Sam, but he grew up in Minnesota.” Sean says laughing. “And he likes opera.”

“There is nothing wrong with liking opera.” Sam laughs.

“You just say that because Jack likes opera too.”

She grinned. Mac and Jack had grown up surprisingly cultured for a couple of kids raised in the woods. She suspected that had to do with their grandmother whose parents were well educated, especially her father who had once been a journalist before becoming a popular author in his time.

“Where’s the kids?” Sean asked her.

“Sleeping thankfully.” Sam says with relief. “A friend of mine came over to help out. I think you met her at the welcome home party. Vala?”

“Oh yah… her…” He colored slightly.

“Let me guess. She flirted outrageously with you in front of the tall blondish guy with glasses?” Sam said with an amused smile.

“Uh… how did you know it was that specific?”

“Daniel is being a putz as Jack would say. She made fun of him in front of the entire SGC so now he won’t entertain the idea that she was just trying to get a rise out of him.”

“In what way?” His tone was curious.

“She told everyone he was bad in bed.”

Sean snorted a laugh. “That would do it, yah.” He grinned. “How long ago was that?”

“Oh… about four years ago.” Sam says with an ironic smile.

Sean laughed again. “That’s a long time to hold a grudge about a dick joke.”

Sam snorted and giggled. “She’s been trying to rectify it but it’s Vala so sometimes she forgets she’s supposed to be making up to him and in exasperation pranks him or humiliates him again because she’s tired of his attitude.”

“Seem like a lot of trouble just to get a date. She’s pretty. She could probably have anyone she wan…. Ohhh…”

“Yup.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.”

“Yah. And I can’t argue for her to just let it go either because it’s pretty obvious if he’d shove his ego into a corner he’d realize it’s mutual.”

“That’s worse. So what do you think of the house?” Sean finally asked her about the flier.

“I’d have to go take a look at it honestly, Sean.” She told him but she was intrigued by the style as she looked at the picture of the gorgeous house on the flier.

Sam smiled. It was craftsman style with high gables, stone mixed with clapboard siding, and a slate roof. There was a wrap-around porch on one side and a three car garage to the other. According to the description, it had apparently been renovated a while back and a large bonus room had been converted into the master bedroom with a huge library in the back that could be used as a game room or a play area for the kids. The original master bedroom downstairs was now a large bonus living area for entertaining. It was half a mile closer to the mountain too. Most importantly… There was a balcony off the upstairs back of the house. 

“When does Jack get back from DC?”

“Tomorrow probably. He has to play it by ear most of the time.”

“Wanderlust is a tried and true family tradition, Sam.” He told her jokingly but he wasn’t wrong. Several generations on both sides often had homes to go to but spent more time on the road then in them.

Harry had only left Jack the cabin over Angus because Jack at least knew how to settle down now and again. Dad was still trying to be a one man problem solver. Sam was just as guilty as his mom had been as well. She and Jack got married finally only for her to go off on a long term assignment that was supposed to be two years long. It ended up being only one and she got a promotion out of it but still. No one in this family put down roots except Uncle Jack for some reason. He supposed he got that from great great grammy Abigail. She’d been the only one for generations other than great grandpa Harry and he married into the family. Sean had learned most of the family lore from Jack of all people. Uncle Jack who usually didn’t open up much felt Sean and Sam both had a right to know the family history. Had even loaned Sean several of the novels that had a cult-like following after their reprint in the 60s. Sean had to admit, they were fun, if a bit campy and the science a little dodgy.

“All right. Call me when he gets in and I’ll show you where it’s at.” He says with a smile. “Thanks for the coffee, Aunt Sam.”

“Any time, Sean. Do you need a place to stay?”

He chuckled. “You seem full up right now. I’m staying with a friend.”

“Oh?” Sam didn’t know Sean had friends in the area.

“Yah… you might know him.” Sean grins at Sam and his eyes twinkle merrily when she catches on who he’s staying with.

“Try not to spend the night in jail, would you?”

“As if. All he does is study and hang out with his girlfriend.” He grinned. “Isn’t it a little weird to you that your nephew who shares your husband’s name is dating a girl who looks almost identical to you in every way and even has the same first name?”

Sam bit her lip and grinned. “It’s not _that_ weird.”

“Wait... is she related to you, Aunt Sam?!”

“Kind of?” She said with a vague shrug and pointedly walked him out. “I’ll call you. Give Jon our love and tell him if he wants to have dinner with the family Friday he has to show up.”

Sean chuckled. “I heard there were mitigating circumstances.”

“It’s Jon. Nine out of ten says he mouthed off to a superior officer or got caught horsing around with something he wasn’t supposed to.” She said dryly.

“You know him way too well.”

“I know his family way too well.”

“Ohh… ouch! I’m hurt and betrayed!” Sean tells her with a hand over his heart laughing. “On that note… I need to go. I do actually have work to do and I’m sure you stayed home because you do too.”

She smiled. “You aren’t wrong.”

“I’ll see myself out.” He says as he rinses his mug and puts it in the dishwasher. “See you soon.” He says cheerfully and the door closes behind him.

Sam decides she better call her younger self and warn her that Mac’s kid was showing up to go fishing.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam did call the realtor who was listed on the flier to set up a showing though. She set it for the end of the week before Sean left but after Jack was back. With any luck that is. The house had been on the market a while which meant it probably needed some work but Sam knew Jack and Mac could handle it and if they needed strong backs there was always Jon and his old hockey buddies from high school.

Jack got home a day later than he’d planned and clearly missed his kids because he spent most of the night cuddling and cooing at his son and daughter.

“We still on for family dinner?” He finally asked her once he got caught up on baby cuddles.

“As far as I know. Sean might be joining us too.” Sam told him from her spot on the couch, puzzling over a bit of gate code that was giving them problems for no reason.

“What’s Bub’s boy doing in town?” Jack asked curiously as he bounced Grace gently on his knee and made silly faces at her.

“He said he had an assignment. He didn’t volunteer and I didn’t ask. He’s staying with Jon and Sammy while he’s here.”

“Oh boy.”

Sam giggled. “I know. I told him not to get arrested this time.”

“Those two get into as much trouble as Bub and I used to as kids.”

“I can’t imagine why.” Sam said laughing.

“Sean has a decade on the kid. You would _think_ he would be the voice of reason.”

“Jack… technically Jon has almost three decades on Sean… When was the last time you and Daniel didn’t get into trouble together?”

“When we both got too old for it.” Jack said regretfully.” He grinned. “Daddy is jealous of Cousin Jon because Cousin Jon gets to do all the stuff daddy still wants to do. Yes he does. Yes he doeess…” he said in a sing song voice to his daughter.

Sam laughed. Nothing about this surprised her even slightly.

“I am not cloning Daniel.” She tells him firmly.

Jack looked horrified. “Jon has a best friend, couple of them actually. He doesn’t need a replacement. It’s only you I couldn’t live without.” He admitted.

Sam smiles at him softly. Jon had tried so hard to be his own man but had sunk into apathy quickly without his family and friends. Not that Jack had much family left but he deeply loved the family he does have. But most of all he’d missed her and that was the loss he’d been unable to move on from. So a little over two years from the day Jon was dropped off at Mountain View High school, a blond girl had showed up on the doorstep of his apartment complex after school and introduced herself as Samantha Nielsen, pleased to meet you. She’d told him she went to Advanced Creative Learning up the road from his school. Jon asked her if she was a tenant and she told him that it depends.

Sam had stood in the shadows smiling in amusement at their exchange. He’d invited her in. A few days later Jack got a request for a PCS on his desk that he chuckled at and signed off on. She didn’t have much stuff so he sent a couple bored security staff that wanted to pick up some extra hours to help her pack her meager belongings and truck them to the other side of Colorado Springs. He supposed he could have just saved time and warned the kid but where was the fun in that? He was lucky Jack hadn’t talked Sam into making her twelve or something just to torture him. Himself? Hadn’t Jack tortured himself enough with Sam already?

Sam saw the perplexed look on his face and correctly guessed he was heading down a mental rabbit hole. “Before you get too far along in whatever mental gymnastics you’re working on, Jack, most of the reason Sean dropped by was to give me this.” She handed him the flier.

Jack adjusted his grip on their daughter and took the proffered sheet of paper. “What’s this?” He asked, perplexed.

“At the party, he overheard that we were house hunting and not having much luck. He was leaving for an assignment right after but he checked when he got back to see if it was still for sale. I guess he drove past it and it stuck in his memory.”

Jack looks at the picture thoughtfully. “It’s a corner lot. Higher taxes.”

She hummed in agreement. “It is but it’s got a walk out basement because it’s on one of the foothills.”

“That could be nice for you to have a lab downstairs and possibly set up a little pottery area in a corner.” Jack says thoughtfully.

“You could have a woodshop too and it wouldn’t be in the way of the bikes in the garage.” She pointed out.

Jack hummed in agreement. “Carter… is that… is that a hot tub?”

Sam grinned.

“You’re kidding? And it has three bays on the garage?”

She nodded. Jake finally woke from his impromptu nap and let out a protesting little squeak when he realized his sister wasn’t next to him so Sam picked him up from the port-a-crib. “I looked the lot up online. There’s a huge library where the master bedroom used to be with a wet bar.”

“What?” He grinned. “I’m sold. When are we going to look at it?”

“Friday morning. Sean said he’d drop by and lead us to it as he knows exactly where it is.” She said as she gently bounced Jake while she got her shirt undone so he could nurse. “It’s been on the market for a little while so it must need some work.” Sam cautioned him.

“Nothing Bub, the kid and I can’t handle I think.” He said thoughtfully, referring to Jon as ‘the kid’. “As long as it’s not electrical. Don’t ever trust Bub with electrical work.”

“Oh _now_ you tell me that.” Sam said jokingly.

“I said electrical. Electronics he’s fine… electrical… I could tell you stories that would make your hair stand on end, as would his on the fly patches as they are about as safe as an angry Jaffa.”

Sam giggled until her eyes went wide as Jake bit her.

“No giggling, Carter.” He said with gentle amusement.

“Very funny. Oh wow! Jake, easy.” She broke his latch and he howled in protest. “No biting, young man.” She told him and let him reattach. “Carolyn’s friend taught me that the other day while you were gone. Apparently biting is pretty normal but you can break them of it if you make it more trouble for them than anything they gain out of it.”

“Makes sense.” Jack said thoughtfully. “I’d really enjoy a hot tub, Sam.” He said suggestively.

Sam chuckled. “Yah, I bet you would.”

“How about I get dinner started?” He offered.

“I thawed that pork tenderloin this morning. How about you cut it into medallions and throw some mushrooms on it.” She suggested.

“I like how you think. What have we got in the way of vegetables?” he mused as he headed for the kitchen.

“Sadly only frozen but there are green beans and peas. Take your pick.”

It was still better than what he used to have on hand when he was single. Sam had weaseled out of getting stuck with being team cook by lying and saying she was a bad cook for years. That was until Jack caught her making dinner at home one night when he just showed up and invited himself in. The mission had gone badly and George had sent everyone home. When she didn’t show up at his place, he’d driven by hers only to be lured in by the luscious smells of a baked macaroni and cheese and buttered broccoli. She’d made herself comfort food and Jack had needed his share of comfort himself.

She’d sworn him to secrecy though as she still had no desire to be the camp cook. Besides, Teal’c considered it his job along with finding a couple logs to sit on for longer missions. They had cuddled on the couch eating baked macaroni and watching a documentary on whales and fallen asleep that way at some point. A lot of their nights had been like that until they finally gave in to their feelings. But holding each other had often been enough for them at the start. Sam was wary of the rules and Jack didn’t want to compromise her career. Both were firmly telling themselves they were too good of friends to ruin things with how they felt even though they had shared enough less than innocent goodnight kisses to know their feelings were mutual.

Jack shook off his trip down memory lane of more complex times and grabbed the carton of mushrooms from the fridge. He noticed Sam had baked a new batch of garlic so he grabbed a few cloves to smash into the marinade for the pork. Bored Sam was using their eclectic wedding gifts like a garlic baker and the food dehydrator. Their friends had gotten them gadgets as between the two of them, they had almost everything they could want. Most of the new gadgets however, had been boxed up until Sam got sufficiently bored to try them out.

Once the pork and mushrooms were simmering on low, he returned to the living room where Sam was now nursing Grace and Jake was laying on the play mat swatting at the spaceships and little Asgards hanging from the bars.

“Anything I can help with?”

“Nope. I went easy on the garlic after the last time.” He told her.

The last time he had put so much garlic in the pasta sauce Jake had spent the night vomiting on everyone. Garlic did not seem to agree with him at all.

“Thanks. The washing machine appreciates it.” Sam said with an amused smile.

“Next order of the day. Dessert?” He asked hopefully.

“I’m sorry, Jack. I’ve been too tired to bake.” She admits. The kids were still taking everything out of her and she felt like she no sooner stopped nursing one and the other was hungry more days than not. Whoever had coined ‘sleep when they sleep’ clearly had not been the mother of hungry twins.

“Ah! No sorrys Carter. That comes first.” He said pointing at their nursing daughter.

“It’s all I do some days.” She said with a whiny little sigh that was very unlike her. Jack sat down next to her and slid his fingers into her hair, tilting her chin so she was looking in his eyes.

“Sam, you are on maternity leave for a reason. Hank knows this. Bill knows this. Unless someone is trapped inside the gate… they work on your schedule not theirs, got it? I can make it an order if it makes you feel better.” He says with a flirtatious little smile.

“Jack…” she says chuckling and blushing a little.

“I adore that I can still make you blush after all these years. It’s kind of an ego boost for an old man married to a hot young Colonel.”

Sam snorted in amusement. She thought his grey hair was sexy. Had for years. Half the time when he’d walked around base with his hair looking like a haystack it had been from her sticking her fingers in it and petting him absently while she worked. He’d never once stopped her either.

The timer went off on the meat and Jack gave her a quick kiss as he got up. “Time to throw the peas in the microwave. If she’s done, let her take a nap so you can eat in peace for once.” He said to her softly as he got up to finish dinner.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.. yesterday was Monday... and I uh... posted something from Punnett... So today you get a twofer! Mostly because the other chapter was super short anyway.

“Turn left here.” Sean said to Jack from behind him in the truck’s jump seat. The kids were at the house with Vala. Sam hadn’t wanted to deal with the complication of lugging a pair of infants through a house viewing. Especially of one of them needed to be changed or Jake’s stomach betrayed him at a bad time.

They pulled up to the end of the block and stopped in the driveway of possibly the prettiest house Sam had ever laid eyes on. The roof came to several peaks. The sides were stonework in soft shades of grey punctuated by matching clapboard that was due for a repaint but otherwise pretty. The shutters were wood with cross braces and looked like someone took them off a castle. The columns on the porch to their right by the front door were identical to the ones on the house they currently owned.

Jack was assessing the house thoughtfully. Siding needed paint. Porch needed some minor repairs. So far nothing too bad unless there was termite damage. It was a Craftsman revival much like his own but the style flowed a bit better. Jack had been more focused on curb appeal and the interior when he’d bought his current home. Well that and not living off the freeway in a no-tell motel. He’d ignored the strange choice of plastic log look on the back of his house and now it was kind of a ‘this is who this house is’ sort of thing. Bub had accused him of missing the cabin for leaving it up. Bub probably wasn’t entirely wrong.

“So when is the realtor supposed to be here to let us in?” Sean asks.

A grey sedan pulls up into the driveway.

“Now?” Sam asks with an amused smile.

“Very funny, Aunt Sam.” He says with a lopsided smile very like his dad’s.

A short unassuming man steps out of the car and walks over to greet them. “Folks, I’m Bill Osgood. I’ll assume you are the O’Neills?” He smiles broader when Sam and Jack nod. “Great. Let’s go take a look at the house. This your son?”

“Nephew, actually.” Jack supplies. “He’s the one that saw the house and thought we might like it.”

“You folks got a realtor?”

“We do but we haven’t had much luck finding something so far.” Sam admits. “We didn’t want traditional or modern and that’s most of the houses in Colorado Springs.”

“Yah, a lot of very common looking houses. My sister lives in Detroit and you couldn’t tell the suburbs of them apart from here if you tried. Lots of developers bought cheap house plans in bulk and put up whole towns full of matching houses. This one here replaced a home that burned down about fifteen years ago. Rest of the neighborhood is cookie cutter but there’s a few like this one. I gotta warn you, it’s a corner lot so your taxes are going to be higher but the lot is almost an acre and the basement is a walk out.” He unlocked the code box while he talked and opened the door to a grand foyer with a curved staircase with wrought iron spindles and a wood railing.

“Jack.” Sam breathed.

Jack grinned. “Yah, that’s pretty nice.” He said of the beautifully curved stairway. “I noticed the outside needed a bit of work. Are there any structural issues?” He asked the realtor.

“Owners have been out for a while. Air Force. They move around a lot. I can check the paperwork but mostly it’s cosmetic. Needs some updating in a few rooms. Kitchen might be in need of a reno as it’s the original kitchen.” He admitted to Jack.

Sean smirked behind the man. Sam must have set up the appointment as Mr. and Mrs. O’Neill rather than General and Colonel.

“Sam said the original master bedroom was converted to a library?” Jack asked.

“Yah. Guy bought the house and almost immediately had it redone. Said he didn’t trust his kids up there with that balcony he’d had put on.” Bill laughed in a jolly way. “You two got kids?”

“Two… ish.” Jack said.

“Our goddaughter stays with us now and again still but she’s an adult. We have twins.” Sam supplied with an eyeroll at her husband.

“Twins, huh? Better you than me. Got one boy myself. He’s most of why my hair all fell out.” Bill jokes.

Jack looks away and Sam gives his hand a squeeze. It was still a difficult subject, Charlie. He still often spoke of him with anguish in his voice. He squeezed back and stuffed down his feelings. “Let’s go check out the library, Carter.” He tells Sam who nods and follows him, still holding his hand.

Bill gives Sean a confused look.

Sean lowers his voice. “Uncle Jack’s oldest son died when he was a kid. This is his second marriage but he’s had to raise his goddaughter and nephew because both their parents died.” Sean gave the man a ‘this is not to be repeated I’m just telling you so you keep your foot out of your mouth’ look. Mac’s son only knew the official story about Jon and Jack’s whole reason for being forthcoming about his family history had been to put him off the scent that Jack was hiding anything about the parentage of Jon. Sean had unwittingly gone along with it too.

“Oh god, I am SO sorry. I had no idea.” Bill says horrified at his social misstep with a potential client.

“It’s fine just don’t say anything about it and only discuss their current kids. Uncle Jack is a very private guy. He only tells you what he wants you to know.”

“Gotcha. Thank you, young man. It’s so difficult these days to read people.”

Sean nodded absently. “That fireplace back there, gas or wood?” He asked, pointedly changing the subject with a stern look.

“Oh, it’s wood. They could have it converted over if they like.” Bill tells him.

Sam and Jack look around the entertainment library area. “Jack… not even we could run out of room for books here.” She breathed.

Jack chuckled thinking about how many books they had stored in his garage having run out of spaces to put them. “I’m never getting you out of here, am I?”

She looks around in wonder at the high cherry finish shelves. “We could get you a really nice leather recliner like you wanted… and a drafting desk for you to plan out woodworking and pottery projects on.”

Jack just watches her. He can tell she’s already in love with this house. He decides he doesn’t care how much work it needs as he walks to the French doors in the back of the room to look out on the lanai. “Uh… Carter…” His hand waves to the view from the lanai. Below them is the edge of a pool neither noted on the flyer though it was likely listed. That would explain the high wrought iron fence around the yard he guessed.

Sam joined him and tears gathered in her eyes.

“Hey.” He said gently and pulled her against him.

“Sorry, still battling hormones.” She told him and wiped a tear off her cheek.

“S’ok” he said softly and kissed the top of her head. “We should check out upstairs and the basement.”

“And the garage.”

“And the garage.” He agreed. They used the pass through laundry and storage area that lead to the old master bedroom and a small bathroom back around to the laundry room which led to the garage.

“We’d still have to leave the truck out.” Sam said. But there was room for the bikes, her vintage Volvo, and to pull an SUV inside and still have room to change the oil on one of the vehicles if you needed to. Currently half their garage had the bikes and the other half was stacked with Cassie’s belongings and some of Sam’s.

“This will do.” Jack said with a smile. “Better lit. Warmer too.” He noted.

“Looks like there was some water damage around the door there.” She pointed to the farthest bay.

“Yah. Doesn’t look too bad though. Must have had a roof leak.” They headed for the kitchen.

“Well…” Sam said hesitantly.

“This needs to go.” Jack agreed. The cabinetry was faced with white Formica and had oak trim at the tops and bottoms. The counters were Formica butcher block print.

“Egh.” Sam said making a face as she walked through.

Jack chuckles at her. “Appliances are old anyway so we’ll just gut it and start over. Farmhouse or European mansion?”

Sam hummed thoughtfully. Her bungalow had been rather bland like this. But it was just a place to stay. Jack had farm style cabinets in their current house that were painted white with yellow walls and counter tops. She loved that kitchen but this one needed something else. Something that said ‘them’.

“I was thinking soapstone counters, paneled island. Make that a prep nook, paint it antique green and the rest of them white but craftsman to match the rest of the house.” Jack suggested.

Sam looked around, picturing it in her head and slowly nodded.

“That spot between those two windows is pretty useless. I could build you a hydroponic herb wall.” He suggested.

Sam’s face lit up at the idea and Jack chuckled. His house was littered with house plants now. Who was he to complain. Ever since her comment about talking to her plants he’d bought her probably half of them. All for various perfectly innocent reasons. This house would give her room to have even more of them if she wanted. It was nearly twice the size of their current home.

They wandered through the rest of the house but Jack and Sam were already sold. Sean and Bill were sitting on the pair of folding chairs in the cozy living area in the back of the house that lead to the lanai on one side and the covered porch on the other. Jack looked around the room. “Depending on our schedules, either I’ll call an inspector this week or Carter will. We’ll be in touch about an offer.” Jack says to the other man.

“Of course Mr. O’Neill. Assuming you qualify for the loan, I’ll be happy to go over the paperwork with you both.” He said cheerfully.

Sam bit her lip in amusement. “I don’t think qualifying is going to be an issue.”

“The kitchen needs to be gutted and there’s some water damage in the garage. I’m sure there’s going to be other things that will affect our offer.” Jack points out. “Pool looks like it needs some work but pools always do.” Jack explained. “We’ll make a fair offer. Hopefully, your client is in the mood to sell.” He smiles a bit.

“Well, here’s my card and I’ll be hearing from you then?”

“Yah sure, you betcha.” Jack said with an amused grin as he turned away. “Coming, kid?” he said over his shoulder to Sean.

“You know I’m thirty, right?” Sean pointed out as they walked out, Bill following behind to lock up.

“Git in the kah, junior.” Jack said, doing a fair impression of Jackie Gleason that made Sam chuckle.

“It’s closer to base.” Sam pointed out.

“You don’t need to sell me, Carter.” He says and pulls her in for a kiss before helping her into the cab of the truck.


	4. Chapter 4

Several weeks later they closed on the house. Sean had another assignment but Jon had some down time and was helping Jack with the heavy lifting. Between them they built Sam a new kitchen and made other repairs to the house. The tired siding was now a pretty antique green almost identical to what was on their current house.

“You and mini Carter getting on all right?” Jack asked Jon while they positioned a lower cabinet. Jon had hauled the old ones to the basement for Jack to use in his woodshop.

“Don’t we usually?”

“Well, we are prone to occasional bouts of utter stupidity, kid. I was just making sure.”

“She’s swamped with taking too many classes. I don’t know why she pushes herself so hard.” He says shaking his head.

“It’s her nature. Always has been. We know that.”

“Yah. Still worries me though when I find her passed out with exhaustion then find out she hasn’t eaten in two days.”

“She ever make up her mind about the Air Force?”

Jon shook his head. “She’s got a couple years to decide one way or the other but she’s concerned about us being on different assignments or one of us getting back into the program and the other not.”

“You guys are pretty much automatic, you know.” Jack points out.

“Yah but it’s Carter so she eats herself up running all the permutations anyway.”

Jack shakes his head. If there was one constant in the universe… it was Carter. “Just keep an eye on her. We know how she gets.”

Jon nodded and adjusted a shim. “It’s not level.” He pointed out.

“Crap.” Jack growled and helped Jon reposition it.

* * *

Several weeks after that, the kitchen done, the basement was about halfway renovated but at least useable. The pool needed to be drained so a pump could be repaired but it was working again now and it was crystal clear instead of murky green. The bedrooms that had been garish with 80s era wallpaper and odd colors like sea foam and peach were repainted as well. The bonus room upstairs was a play area for the kids and they made the study by the front door a guest room for now as the library had plenty of room for Sam and Jack’s desks and office supplies. Bub had helped Sam set up a security system for the fence in case anyone got the bright idea to hop it then wired the house as well. Jack thought it was overkill but should she need to work from home, she now had that option. She’d bought them safes with biometric sensors so only she and Jack could get them open. There would be no further accidents with firearms in their home.

Their first night in their new house they had nothing but their beds unpacked. “Should we have a party?” Jack asked her.

Sam stretched against him and stroked his chest where sweat was cooling on him. “I thought we already were.”

Jack chuckles. “You like the kitchen?” He asked her again.

“Why are you so worried I won’t like the kitchen?”

Jack hummed noncommittally.

“Jack.” She said slowly, her tone indicating he needed to spill it.

“A couple days after Dad died; the cop showed up at my house.” Jack admitted.

“What?! Why didn’t you ever tell me?!” She demanded as she rolled over and straddled him, pinning him to the bed.

Distracted by his wife’s bare bottom rubbing on his crotch, Jack ignored her question and started exploring her skin with his deft fingers.

“Jack! Focus!” She ordered him even as she bit her lip when his fingers expertly slid along the inside of her thigh.

He grinned. “What?”

“Why didn’t you tell me Pete came to your house?”

“Huh? Oh, it wasn’t important. He had some stuff of yours he wanted to return and you weren’t taking his calls. I took it back to your house later and put it in your office when you were at the florist getting Dad’s casket blanket ordered.”

“What did he say Jack?” she demanded and swatted his hand when it slid further up her thigh and brushed where her legs met.

“Hm? Oh, just some crap about I hope you know what you have and other utter garbage guys say when they get dumped for an ex. Got all pissed when he looked around the kitchen.” He said absently having been swatted away from one part of her body was now slowly stroking those same fingers up her sides to her breasts.

“Huh? Why?”

“Because it’s yellow.”

“Wait… what?”

“And the house is green… and the woodwork is all original to the house.”

Sam blinked in astonishment. “I…”

“Described my house when your ex fiancé asked you what kind of house you wanted.” He gave her a smug smile. “You could have just moved in, Carter.” His grin broadened.

Sam swatted him with a pillow. “I swear I didn’t mean to.”

“I looked up the house he bought you by the way.” He told her and tugged the pillow out of her hands and tucked it under his head with his own. “It wasn’t half as pretty as this one.”

“It really wasn’t.” She agreed. “It was the only part he almost got right though.” She said wistfully.

“He should have tried loving you for who you are instead of trying to change you.” Jack said with certainty.

“It wasn’t all him. We didn’t like the same movies or music or food or alcohol or anything really. Jack, I know it seems like we aren’t a lot alike but we have similar hobbies and we enjoy the same things. You at least try to understand quantum mechanics. Every time I talked to Pete about it he’d get this glazed over look in his eyes and I’d ask him if I was boring him and he’d tell me no he just enjoyed the sound of my voice.” She huffed in annoyance.

“Sam?”

“Jack?”

“Can we not talk about Pete’s many flaws while you are straddling my crotch in nothing but your birthday suit? It’s kind of ruining the moment.” He told her with a smirk.

“Oh, and what moment was that? Aren’t you tired yet?”

“Of you, Carter? Never for the rest of my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you asking about the house it's based on these plans
> 
> https://www.dreamhomesource.com/plan/2487-square-feet-4-bedroom-3-00-bathroom-3-garage-craftsman-country-sp123505


End file.
